Church of Humanity (comics)

Church of Humanity
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Uncanny X-Men #395 (2001)
Created by	Joe Casey Chuck Austen Ian Churchill
In-story information
Type of organization	Religious cult/Terrorist
Leader(s)	Supreme Pontiff
Agent(s)	General Vicar Mister Clean

The Church of Humanity is an anti-mutant, Christian-based religious sect/hate group in the Marvel Universe. It was created by Joe Casey, though Uncanny X-Men writer Chuck Austen featured the cult in a controversial storyline which involved an elaborate plan to install the recently ordained Nightcrawler as Pope and stage a false Rapture using incendiary communion wafers as part of a plot to topple the Catholic Church (although the Rapture, as a concept, is not generally considered valid by Catholicism).

History

The Church of Humanity preaches that Man is created in God's image, but Mutants are not. They are more radical offshoot of the Friends of Humanity anti-mutant group, but with a religious discourse, similar to the Purifiers, the followers of Reverend William Stryker. The Church of Humanity is similar to real-life white supremacist religious groups such as the Christian Identity movement.